Tehran, Iran-- BRICS is preparing to launch new bonds in global markets, which will be available in local currencies rather than in the US dollar The BRICS bank, known as the New Development Bank (NDB), will soon release the bonds called ‘Maharaja Bonds’ worth $28 billion, IRNA reported on Sunday...

In a video posted online and broadcast at a meeting in Tel Aviv in support of the hostages, Emmanuel Macron said that France does not abandon its children and "that is why we have to resume negotiations again and again for their release." He said that France is determined that...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The National Center for Wildlife, in cooperation with the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve released 85 endangered animals, the first batch in the 2023-2024 season. The release is part of the center's program with increasing and relocating endangered wild animals, restructuring ecosystems, and enriching the...

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Remittances by expatriates in Saudi Arabia dropped 13 percent year-on-year (YoY) to US$2.6 billion (SAR 9.9 billion) in September, according to recent data released by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, expat remittances in the Kingdom declined 8 percent, or US$229 million...

Berlin, Germany--Qatar, a key power in the efforts to release hostages seized by Hamas from Israel, believes they can be released "very soon" thanks to ongoing discussions, a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman told the German Welt am Sonntag newspaper Saturday. Doha's mediation played a key role in the release on Friday...

Cairo, Egypt--An Egyptian court on Saturday denied an appeal by prominent dissident Hisham Kassem against his jail sentence, his lawyer said, after lawmakers rejected a European Parliament resolution urging his release. "The court has decided to uphold the judgement that was under appeal," Kassem's lawyer Nasser Amin said on Facebook. Kassem...

Egyptian activist Ahmed Douma, a leading figure of the country's 2011 uprising who has spent the last decade behind bars, has been granted a presidential pardon, lawyers said. "President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi... has used his constitutional powers" to pardon several prisoners including Douma, said Tarek Elawady, a member of the...

London, United Kingdom--Over 100 British lawmakers on Monday expressed concern at the lack of progress in the case of a jailed British-Egyptian activist and urged the UK government to adopt "fresh approaches" to secure his release. Alaa Abdel Fattah -- a key figure in the 2011 revolt that topped Egyptian autocrat...

The junta said in a statement that pardons were granted to 2,153 prisoners to mark the birth anniversary of the Buddha as dozens of people turned up outside the prison to greet their relatives. Thousands of protestors and activists have been arrested since the February 2021 putsch ended the country's...

France's foreign minister has held a rare face-to-face meeting with her Iranian counterpart in China, urging Tehran to release French nationals "arbitrarily detained" in Iran, the foreign ministry said. Catherine Colonna, traveling with French President Emmanuel Macron on his state visit to China, met Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beijing.

PARIS, FRANCE - Iran has released a prominent chef and Instagram influencer who was detained earlier this month in its crackdown on nationwide protests, a human rights groups and supporters said. Navab Ebrahimi, known for his videos promoting Persian cooking, was arrested in Tehran on January 4 and taken to the...

The UN experts said publishing the column was a matter of freedom of expression, and concluded that he had been "detained for peacefully exercising that right".

Iran and United States have arrived at a deal to exchange prisoners and unfreeze Iranian funds abroad, according to media reports. The deal includes freedom for eight people held in the custody of two countries. The exchange will follow a UN statement last week that a former UNICEF official was...

A rare operation by the Palestinian Authority security forces to arrest a Hamas member sparked clashes in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday, killing one. A statement from the security forces confirmed the death of Firas Yaish and said they were "waiting for a medical report," on the...

An international coalition of journalists, editors and publishers demanded Wednesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange be immediately released from a UK jail and that all charges against him be dropped. Fifteen representatives of international journalist and publishers' unions and organisations gathered in Geneva for the "call to free Julian Assange...

Egyptian state security released nine Coptic Christians who had been detained for nearly three months following a protest demanding the rebuilding of their church, rights groups said Sunday. They were released on Sunday morning, the day that Coptic Christians celebrate Easter, the village priest told AFP.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday pardoned over 1,000 convicts and ordered "clemency measures" for 70 people detained over links to the country's Hirak protest movement, to coincide with Ramadan. Tebboune signed "a presidential decree pardoning 1,076 convicted detainees" on the occasion of the start of  Ramadan, the presidency said,...

The family of a UK/Iranian man freed this week after spending five years in a Tehran jail were forced to pay Iran $36,500 in order to secure his return home, they said Saturday. Anoosheh Ashoori, a retired engineer from southeast London, was jailed for 10 years on charges of spying...

The President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan ordered the release of 870 prisoners on Sunday.

Mordi and Natali Oknin were detained last week after visiting the newly opened Camlica Tower -- Istanbul's tallest building.

Saudi authorities released Abdullah al-Zaher, a citizen from the Shiite minority whose death sentence was later commuted, after years in prison for participating in anti-government protests, human rights groups said.

The move comes barely days after Human Rights Watch urged Iran to unconditionally release all water protesters it had detained.

Sixteen organisations -- including Amnesty and BIRD -- called on Bahraini authorities to release Abduljalil al-Singace, who is serving a life sentence for his involvement in a 2011 uprising.

Suez Canal Authority reached a final deal on compensation Cairo lost between $12m-$15m in revenues for each day of blockage  CAIRO: Egypt is set to release the MV Ever Given on Wednesday, over 100 days since the megaship was refloated after blocking the Suez Canal for six days, crippling global...